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28 February 2009

It's Raining

I love rain. Lots of people do. I love it for a couple of different reasons. The biggest being that rain makes people slow down. It makes getting around at our speedy pace a little more challenging. At base, I'm more that slow poke than anything so this tends to work out nicely for me. My life is so constant and hectic, a good "slow" day is always welcome. Second, it's terribly romantic isn't it? And that little romantic inclination lends itself to some rather cute rain gear.

I'm a sucker for old coats anyway, so perfect opportunity to break out my late '60's topcoat I bought from a local vintage shop while I was in college. I have literally worn this coat every time the weather drops below 65 and there's one cloud in the sky. I've worn it with jeans, over dresses, with hats, to school, to parties, to work. I'm not entirely sure how it's still "standing." I lived in it in England. Of course there, it was necessary since the sky will just suddenly open up at any given moment and while those clear plastic rain slickers are sold on virtually every corner and at every tourist stop, I have never longed to hang out in a see-through Hefty, thank you very much. My coat is almost identical in cut to this:

So I've set out this morning to find some more to add to my collection.

I love this. It's a nice retro spin on the classic trench without being overly cutesy. The full cut is perfect when you've got a dress you don't want wet or wrinkled but also proves to make great legs look even better when paired with fitted jeans or slacks. Found on meanshopper.

This one I found on TravelSmith and it's very similar to the one I have; it's structured kind of like a man's (mine is actually a man's) which can serve a few purposes. 1) The cut of a man's coat can slim you down because there is no fullness in the fit at all; 2) wearing a man's cut looks quite sexy on a woman, in my opinion (it's a little tomboy but with some killer knee-high boots, no one will be thinking about climbing trees); 3) the print here, which is a really tight houndstooth just like mine, is great for hiding spots (and if you have kids like I do, spots can be a major issue). Here are some more men's cut coats I love (one I found on Overstock, one with a little girly color, a DVF that's a good mix of the traditional with a super feminine twist and of course a mac):

We couldn't discuss raincoats without talking about Burberry, of course. The first look, totally runway, could be replicated pretty simply with a great brown belt and classic trench you can pick up in just about any major department store. I love the slim cut of it, too. The second coat would be good when you have to dress up even though the sky has decided it's Armageddon. I like the color and am such a sucker for blue with black, even if the metallic sheen doesn't necessarily appeal to me for everyday:

I also have a soft spot for white trench coats. There's just something a little unexpected about a white trench on a rainy day; something ironic I suppose. It stands out and looks great with black. These coats: Norma Kamali, Tahari at Bluefly, and Soia & Kyo:

Last but not least, we have to have a little bit of flare to choose from. I like this Venetian red coat from Modcloth although I'm not a huge fan for the traditional slicker (that noise and the overall inflexibile vortex it creates is no bueno); the second coat is from Coast in the UK. (I love love their site; why don't I live there??) It's a little over the top and at first I wasn't sure about the bow in the back but then I had a vision of it with some serious black stilletto's, vintage screw back drop earrings and a squirt or two of Boudoir and now I'm considering hitting up my expat buddy on his next trip overseas. This would look great for a night out at the theatre! I think I need it in my life.